A new bridge being built in Ludlow at a cost of almost £1 million will be open to the public in September.
Work will start next month on building a replacement for Burway Bridge, which spans the River Corve at Coronation Avenue, which was washed away in the floods of last summer.
The bridge, being built by Shropshire County Council, will be open to some traffic from September. It will be fully opened in December.
Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Ludlow’s floods supremo, said he was pleased the bridge was being built.
A public exhibition is being held to explain the proposals.On March 26, Shropshire County Council will be holding the exhibition in Ludlow to explain the plans for the replacement of the bridge.
The exhibition will be held in The Refectory, Ludlow College, Castle Square and will be open to the public from 10.30am until 1pm, 2pm until 5pm, and 6pm until 9pm.
The original Burway Bridge collapsed on June 26 last year during exceptionally heavy flooding, leaving a 16 metre wide breach in one of the main routes into Ludlow.
The new bridge has been designed to cater for floods specified by the Environment Agency and will have a span of 21 metres which is more than twice as long as that of the old bridge.
A council spokesman said: “Unfortunately, in order to carry out the work it will be necessary to close the B4361, Coronation Avenue to traffic and pedestrians for part of the construction period.
“This closure is programmed to start on April 21 and is expected to remain in place until the end of September, when the road will be reopened under traffic light control.
“When the bridge is closed, traffic into Ludlow town centre from the north will be diverted along the A49 to the Henley Road Roundabout, then into town along Henley Road, Gravel Hill and Station Drive.
“The town end of Lower Corve Street will also be closed for the duration of the work. This is considered necessary for safety reasons.”
John Williams, Shropshire County Council’s principal bridge engineer, said: “It is appreciated that the work will cause some inconvenience and disruption and that some people are naturally concerned.
“We will do all that we reasonably can to keep the road closure to a minimum and open the road early. We will also be erecting signs on the approaches to both Ludlow and the bridge advertising that businesses in Ludlow remain open for business as usual.”
The county council will also be holding a public meeting in Ludlow to explain and discuss the proposed road closures and traffic diversions. This will be held at the Bishop Mascall Centre, Lower Galdeford, at 7pm on March 19.
Share this article:
What are these?